Re: Ideas? For moving boat from Michigan to Oregon
Mel-<br /><br />Last May (2000)...I towed a 20' foot Mako from Aransas Pass, Texas to Boston, MA with a UHAUL truck... a trip of about 2,200 miles. The dealer paid my airfare so I did not have to worry about it...just the truck rental.<br /><br />My first recommendation is to call UHAUL and Penske and negotiate prices for them during mid-month (cheaper because most people move during the beginning or end of the month). Uhaul originally quoted me $900 and I called Penske and the quoted me $650 and then I called UHAUL back and told them PENKSE quoted me $425 (Yes, I lied) and could they beat or match their price. Uhaul said the best they could do was $380 (one-way....which included about 2,300 miles). This was fine by me! When you call them I would not tell them about the boat ( I didn't...because most of the larger UHAULS have a 2" inch ball welded on the frame) Just make sure you get a big enough UHAUL to tow your boat....a 20 footer should do the job. You'll need to hook-up the trailer lights to the special UHAUL lights with an $8 adapter that they sell at the big UHAUL stores.<br /><br />Also, to make this trip worth while..you need to do it on the cheap, so-to-speak, or it will cost you the same as if you paid someone else.. I slept in the truck the first night, treated myself to a $65 hotel room and shower the 2nd night and drove through the night on the 3rd night and pulled into Boston around 6:30 am.<br /><br />It was tiring but I saw a lot of the country and I would definitely do it again. I can sell my boat in the Boston area for double of what I paid for it so it was worth the trip.<br /><br />Regarding the trailers, Michigan has the highest number of registered boats in the country..about 700,000 so you should not have trouble finding a trailer. Keep looking..one will turn up.<br /><br />Good luck
